


you're my golden hour

by santiagoswagger



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Missing Scene, early relationship vibes, octopus puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 15:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15122039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/santiagoswagger/pseuds/santiagoswagger
Summary: The first time Jake calls Amy ‘babe’, it’s a complete accident.Originally posted toTumblr.





	you're my golden hour

**Author's Note:**

> Set after _The Oolong Slayer_ but before _The Mattress_.

Their budding relationship is only a month old when it happens.

They’re in her kitchen after a long day at the precinct and Jake is cooking dinner while wearing a ridiculous Die Hard-themed apron Charles gifted to him for National Best Friends Day. He refuses to let her anywhere near the stove out of fear that her abysmal cooking skills will somehow transfer to him, so she’s seated on the countertop across from him with a glass of wine. She occasionally reads out bits of the recipe to him but he doesn’t really need it; he’s been making his Nana’s matzo ball soup since before he could read. Mostly, they’re gossiping about the squad and chatting about their days. It’s the kind of domestic scene Amy never could have imagined for herself, least of all with _Jake Peralta_ , and it feels like something she could get used to. 

He’s in the middle of telling her about Charles’ latest food obsession, which he apparently insisted on discussing for a full three hours while they were on a fruitless stakeout that day, much to Jake’s chagrin.

“ _Octopus gelato_ , Amy. Have you ever heard of anything more disgusting?!” He’s facing her, his back to the stove for a brief moment as his story reaches its peak. He’s gesticulating wildly with a ladle in his hand, his eyes wide with pure horror. “What kind of monster would ruin ice cream with _fish_?” He turns back to the stove to stir the soup when he hears it bubbling, still furious.

Amy’s inner know-it-all can’t help but correct him. “Actually, octopi are mollusks, not fish.”

He whips back around and sternly points the ladle at her. “Don’t you dare turn this into a teaching moment, Amy Santiago! The surveillance van reeked of octopus all afternoon and I didn’t even get to put anyone in handcuffs.”

Without thinking, Amy grins and replies, “At least you and Charles were well-armed on your stakeout with so much octopus around.”

It’s perhaps the nerdiest thing she has ever said out loud, the kind of bad pun she would filter out of a conversation with a new boyfriend until they had been together for at least six months. Maybe it’s because she and Jake have been partners for years and friends nearly as long, but she’s never felt more secure in a month-long relationship before, even if they haven’t solidified exactly what this is yet.

To her immense surprise and relief, Jake barks out a huge laugh. She’s just beginning to laugh along with him when he says something that effectively stuns her into silence.

“Good one, babe.”

Immediately, he freezes. She can see his shoulders tighten and his ladle stops stirring the pot of soup altogether. She can practically see his brain whirring; he’s probably thinking he’s made a colossal and irretrievable mistake, that this is the end of Jake and Amy as he knows it.

It’s the first time either one of them has used a term of endearment and Amy would be lying if she said it didn’t catch her off guard. After all, it’s only been a month – a romantic, fulfilling and surprisingly easy month – but a _month_ nonetheless. They’ve barely even begun to navigate their new normal as a couple, let alone a couple that works together.

Admittedly, Amy’s never been a fan of pet names in the past. They’ve always felt too sickly-sweet, foreign and heavy on her tongue. Teddy started calling her ‘babe’ a few months before their relationship’s spectacular demise but she could never bring herself to spit it out in return; it just never felt genuine.

But there’s something about the way Jake said it, nonchalantly like he’d been calling her ‘babe’ for years, that makes Amy’s heart flutter with promise. She realizes in the moment, perhaps for the first time, that the concept of _them_ is very real and very important to him. It’s so unlike the emotionally stunted Jake she’s accustomed to seeing, but she’s starting to learn that there’s more depth to Jake Peralta than she could have guessed. On the other hand, the slip of his tongue is impulsive and unfiltered, and so much like the Jake she’s known for the past five years. That familiarity is what finally releases her brain from purgatory.

Amy smiles at the back of Jake’s flushed neck and says, “I can already tell this soup is going to taste better than any octopus gelato. It smells amazing, Jake.”

It’s her way of letting him know that he didn’t make a mistake, that she’s not going anywhere, that she loves being his.

She watches as his shoulders unclench and she can see the ladle begin to swirl around the pot again, so she knows moving past his word vomit without making a big scene was the right call.

He sets the ladle aside and shuts off the stove before turning around to face her. He’s smiling softly at her, a smile she never knew existed prior to a month ago but one that she can’t seem to get enough of now.

“Nana’s soup is better than _any_ gelato, and that’s coming from me. I hope your taste buds are ready to explode, Ames.”

His words are lighthearted and teasing, but the look in his eyes is new and startling. They’re full of something profound that neither of them is quite ready to name.

They eat their soup in her dining room, knees bumping affectionately under the table as they talk and laugh, both cognizant of the seismic shift that has taken place in her doily-covered apartment. Later, in the dark of her bedroom, Amy shows Jake just how much she likes her new name and Jake has never been more thankful for his big, dumb mouth.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell with me on tumblr @santiagoswagger! Comments and kudos are always appreciated :)


End file.
